Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-04-22
BEFORE THE COMMISSION.
NEW ENGLAND RAILROAD OFFICIALS
SEEKING RELIEF.
Manufacturers as well Present their
Grievances-Rates at Present which
are Practically Prohibitory-No
Decision Rendered

WASHINGTON, April 20.-George A. Tor
rey, attorney of the Fitchburg road, ad-
dressed the interstate commission today.
He exhibited maps of his line and photo
graphs of the immense wharf and eleva~
tor the property of the company, which
would become useless if the former priv
ileges were not restored. John Whit
more, general traffic manager of the
Fitchburg road, stated to the commission
under oath the difficulties of doing export
business under other than the old meth
ods. One of these was found in the fact
that ocean freights varied from week to
week. yet through rates could not be
changed by railroads without giving no.
tice in advance. The Fitchburg company
was entirely dependent upon Boston traf-
fic for its prosperity and for this reason
was perhaps more deeply interested than
other companies represented here.
Mr.. John Porteous, general traffic man
ager of the Grand Trunk, representing on
this occasion the Central Vermont and
Boston and Lowell roads, addressed the
commission. These lines had about 1000
tons of freight day for export, beside a
large traffic of various kinds from Canada
and the West for the coastwise trade. He
explained the methods of billing export
traffic substantially as his predecessors
had done. If they were refused the priv
ilege of making rebate New York would
handle both the export and coasting trade.
\ representative OF the Boston agents of
the Cunard and Allan steamship lines
testified that already much trans Atlantic
| business for their lines had been diverted
| from Boston to New York.
| Hon. Alden Speare said New England
| had larger proportion of manufactures
than any other part of the Union, and
much of the material used was imported.
| AS David A. Wells had recently said, New
! England had manufactures, but she
raised nothing she used. Her cotton came
from the South, her food from the West.
1t needed no argument to show the dam
age which would result from making
these manufacturers 90 to New York for
imported materials. He alluded in gen
eral terms to the extent of the railroad in
terests involved and read series of reso-
lutions adopted by the association here
present.
Charles p Berry, representing the firm
of shippers of which he is a member,
stated his iirm was engaged largely in the
Australian trade. Since the law went
into effect they had not been able to pro-
cure cargoes as tavorably as before. Ii no
relief was afforded the firm would move
to New York. Charles II. North repre-
sentiug the packing interests, described
the operations in that line carried on in
Boston, Under present arrangements
business could not be continued. The eX-
port packing trade of Boston was about
Sl5,0O0,O 900 year.
Edward kemble of Boston wanted re-
lief, not for one class alone but for all the
citizens of New England. He did not see
the justice of favoring a special low rate
for export trade which would enable the
mechanics in England to buy barrel of
flour cheaper than it could be bought in
New England Justice should be done to
; all classes.
During the progress of the hearing the
commissioners questioned the speakers
and witnesses 1t length with regard to
various details of the subject. But no
expression of opinion was made on the
part of the commissioners themselves to
indicate their own views. Inquiries elic-
tied nothing beyond the suggestions al
ready referred to. During the progress
of one of the brief incidental discussions
the chairman remarked that # the law
forbade rebates the commission had no
power to suspend or waive a legal provi'
sion. So far as they go these inquiries ac-
cord with the already expressed purpose
; of the commission to leave the interpre-
tation of the law primarily to the railroad
companies themselves and contine its own
operations to hearing of complaints of vio-
lations of the law and passing upon them.